St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-12-17
STRAWBERRY CULTURE.
From Farm and Fruit Grocer::

4Ioiu Il arm uuu TVuu ufVtoo'.
Intensive culture is Indispensable
to profitable results. Two exam
Piles will serve to illustrate my
point. My frieni Merrill. in San
ford. has a bed Of strawberries 8 10y
40 feet. from which he has already
gathered over two bushels of fruit
The vines are still vigorous and full
Of fruit. and are good for another
bushel Or more. Call it three BUSH
els. and you have 1853 b usEels Il
tue acre.
Now turn 10 my other picture
Mr.. G. hns half an acre, perhaps
more. we'll set iu vines, from which
he has gathered less than S. worth
Of berries. His land is not unlike
the former example, dat woods and
Of good quality. What has made
all the difference between some.
thing and q good deal less than
nothing?
l can soon tell You. One fertil.
lied and w.tered, the other fertil.
lied little and watered none. One
protected his fruit wholly from
birds. the other not ut all. One is
out in land. labor, plaLts ard in
come. the other has Toasted on the
most luscious and hoalthful of fruits
for three months. This extraordi-
uary yield has been secured by three
things. suitable fertil;zing. mulch
ing and watering. each essential.
Properly enrichiGs the soil in ad-
vance of planting enables the vine
to live and grow. Mulcl,ing not
ouly retains moisture. but prevents
the frequent wateriuys from COM
pactins the soil. ans! sufficient water
furnishes plant food i'll a soluble
s.,d available condition. More than
this-to farhish food and water
you need not do; while, should you
10 less, yoa can only lose.
Mr.. Merrill's bed bad two one
horse loads OF stable manure well
worked in before planting; his
plants are one foot apart each way;
the runners are kept of by occa-
sional clipping; mulch of two or
three inches was given. and when
necessary. moderate supplies Of
water was given. That is all there
was of it.
The sometimes important ques-
tons Of potash and phosphates. or
Of heterogeneous fertilizers, did not
come in at all. A soil not badly
supplied with crnde organic matter.
il decaying mulch to keep up sup
ply of Lumus, the stable manure,
and water. the solvent. tells all the
story.
Plenty Of white luttering rags
served perfe city to keep the birds.
even the saucy hooking birds, at a
distance.
Strangely enough. even the butch
sr bird. intent Oh prey, not plum
der. is often seen on the bed.
Where one is contemplating the
planting of Strawberries this fall
no time should he lost in prepare
tons. Give what fertilizer you in
tend to. and let there be enough,
and sow COW peas. Don't let them
ripen. but when their pods begin
to harden pillow them down. Har-
row well, and repeat the blowing
often enough to put the ground in
the finest possible condition. You
can hardly make the ground too
rich; failing of stable manure, use
compost OF muck with poultry ma
nure or cotton seed.
We may take the lesson from ma
ture; the fines. wild berries are
found on the edges Of mucky ponds
whore fertility and moisture CON-
bine to give the biggest aud best /;
50 in the garden, if we can secure
similar conditions. we are safe.
As to close planting. one foot
apart. ! very much doubt its nd.
visibility. upless possibly on very
small patches.
Two by two for hand culture will
give finer berries, il not more. One
cubic foot. supposing the sell to be
foo. deep. is not enough for one
plant; two by two gives four cubic
feet to each plant; if horse culture
be intended. then one aud one-half
by three feet will be required. Civ
ing four and one-hJf feet.
In any case allow no runners,
and mulch well; soil well mulch.
Ell will Of itself be moist; if in ad-
dition it be, as we urge, fill Of de-
co>,inn vouofnI,Io m.IIo. - l,.c